Thanksgiving…. a little late

I love thanksgiving, it’s one time of the year where we are really encouraged to be very thankful and to intentionally stop, look at life and be grateful. This year I have many things to be very grateful for; I have my wife Sonya without whom I don’t know what I would do, I have my three wonderful children who make me smile so often, we have my family and my in-laws all of whom are wonderful people that I am thankful for and God has blessed us with health and strength.

When I think of thanksgiving I’m also overcome with a sense of extreme gratitude for our clients without whom we wouldn’t have our business and without whom we would not be the people we are today. I feel so thankful for each one of you, you make me smile whenever I think of you, it’s an honour to know you as people and to have you as clients and I think the ultimate honour for us is when you refer us to your friends because then we know that we have been able to impact your lives in some way.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

This week I have a special thank you to send out, in the past few weeks I have had the honour of sharing in and capturing forever in print the nuptials of my cousins daughter, capturing the maternity and newborn images of both clients and close friends, creating family heirlooms in some family portrait sessions and of course our specialty capturing the beauty and mystery that is “woman”. This week I also had the opportunity to spend the best part of the day with a group of women that work together, the 4 of them decided to come in to do an Eve Session as a Christmas gift to the men in their lives who had everything, well almost everything. These men will soon find out they didn’t have what they wanted most, some amazing images of the women they love. Girls, thank you for an amazing time, I had so much fun with you as we laughed, texed back and forth to co-workers, talked about them, ate great food, drank good drinks (Pepsi for we, wine coolers for the girls) and created amazing images in one of the most fun sessions I’ve ever had here at the studio.

I’m trying to teach my kids to have an “Attitude of Gratitude” and instead of grumping about things to simply be thankful and as I try to live that out I find myself a happier and more fulfilled person; so thank you all for everything you do to make my life better, I really appreciate you more than you will ever know.

Rodney

What every Mother should know...

Yesterday, I had ten minutes of really really really bad freak-out time. I yelled. I cried. (And eventually found it in my heart to forgive).

What I'd like to know is: "Why doesn't anyone tell you this in parenting books? Or when someone sells you a PC? If I had only known this one thing, I could've just laughed, pressed three keys and been on my merry way."

But no, I was in the middle of accounting and an important email when my 2.5 year-old son came by and with one swipe of his hand on my laptops's keys, turned my entire display upside-down! Do you know how hard it is to use the mouse when that happens, much less just trying to read the screen?

Well, after pain-stakingly closing all the windows and shutting down (all the while, muttering, fuming, griping, and trying to explain to my five-year-old why I am so angry) in hopes of it coming back on normal, I find that is futile. After releasing more pent-up emotion, I finally phone my husband at the studio just to vent. He does a couple internet searches and after one false start, I have the solution: Ctrl-Alt-up arrow. And {blip}, it's all good again. HUGE sigh of relief and a wee bit of sheepishness for flying off the handle right to the moon.

So, now, if this ever happens to you, you know what to do. Say it with me "Control, Alt, Up Arrow". (Maybe a couple of times). 'Cause if you know it, it's know big deal. But if you don't, it's NOT GOOD.

Have fun today!

School Days

Some of you know what this time of year brings. New school supplies (my favorite), a new routine that involves getting up entirely too early (although today was okay...helps when your young student wakes up on his own and is keen to get ready), and a change in the dynamics at home (less people trying to get along with each other...slightly more relaxed mommy...when she's not busy trying to get everything ready for bus-time). And of course, a learning of how to navigate the emotional issues that come with school, being available so those issues can surface, and learning the art of communication with those that work with your child balancing advocacy with compassion and understanding. Wow, this has just gotten pretty heavy-duty.

We had an excellent first day today. Nothing too stressful approaching launch-time and a day where I had the opportunity to focus on me and my youngest. This was good practice, as my middle child (my only daughter) is starting kindergarten on Monday. It is so hard to believe my second is starting school. I was desperately trying to rack my brain: what was it like to hold her when she was a baby, how did she talk when she was a toddler, how has she changed in the past year? It is amazing how these things slip from consciousness.

So, wherever you're at in your stage of motherhood, I urge you to take a little time to step back, breathe, and take it all in: the feel of your child on your lap or in your arms, the smell of their hair, the feel of their breath, the sound of their cries, laughs, and toddler-isms...write about if at all possible. Because you're going to forget. And the more things going on in your life, the more people you're caring for, the quicker the time seems to go. Everybody says this...and it is easy to ignore...but everyone says it because it's true...so go into your sleeping baby's room and gaze at their round cheeks and soft eyelashes and drink it all in. Feel the weight of your tired eyelids that accompanies the depth of your love for your little one(s). And take a minute to be thankful. The time you're spending with this little person is time you'll never get again. And be kind to yourself and care for your needs, too. What you give to yourself is never wasted either.

Happy 09/09/09!

Service

I have experienced some amazing service in the last two weeks or so from a couple of businesses. I thought I'd share them with you here, as they all could be very helpful to moms with small children.

1. GemStar Insurance - Rodney just did some work for them, and so naturally, when our Autopac premium installment was due, he paid it there and dropped of the CD at the same time. Here's what I love about Ken Bull and his team at GemStar. First, he went out of his way to pay us on the spot for our work, even though the person who normally prints out the cheques was gone that day. Then, after we paid our Autopac, he asked us when he could quote on our home insurance. Well, it so happened that we were trying with little luck to shop it around as it was renewing the next day. He got us a quote and saved us $110 while giving us more coverage than we had before. But what is really amazing is that he was willing to do an installment plan for us on our terms and with no administration fee. AND, he was willing to pick up a payment when he was out and about if we needed that, since he couldn't provide online banking through his business. Now, I realize he knows us and trusts us and could offer that kind of service because we have a relationship...but this is the heartbeat of his business. A while back, he saved us because we had forgotten to renew our Autopac and he phoned it in for us while at a business meeting. They do renewals by fax and delivery if you want. They're located at 3034 Portage Ave. (but that's nearly irrelevant) and you can reach them at 889-1880.
2. Bye Insurance - We have had our life insurance with them for quite awhile now. Recently, we received a call from them to see if we wanted to review our coverage. Well, we had been thinking of increasing coverage, and when we found out that they can do RESP's, we were psyched. We'd been procrastinating on that for too many years. (We had the kids' SIN numbers, but just hadn't finished the job). It turns out that the broker Rodney had seen before had a son who was just starting the business. Bryan, is a soft-spoken 22-year-old who just got married last year. He is great with kids (he read my daughter a book while I filled out paperwork) and is still able to be very flexible with appointments, coming out to our home either in the morning before Rodney went to work, or after the kids were in bed. He's a patient, no-pressure kind of guy. We both ended up increasing our coverage, and now we finally have an RESP in place as well. Good stuff! Bye Insurance is on Provencher and you can call 943-6367.
3. The Green Cleaning Ladies - this is a brand new business comprised of a mother and daughter who want to use environmentally responsible products. I just had them clean my house and will be keeping them on weekly. It was a big decision to hire someone to clean for me, so I'm very happy to have found this new company. I love their friendliness and warmth. And they're experienced cleaners, too! I'm looking forward to this energy injection every week! Check out their ad and maybe you can enjoy a little peace and beauty, too...(but make sure you tell them who sent you, so I can get a free hour of cleaning, ok?) The number to call is 334-8176.

I know these descriptions were a bit lengthy (sorry), but I know in these busy times, it is SO helpful to use referrals instead of having to do your own research. Let me know your experience with these businesses if you use them.

My beans are growing. My kids are growing. Our business is growing. I am growing. It is exciting to see things develop.

It seems like when we had that prolonged cool weather, that our lives were reflecting that. I felt dormant. Yes, we were getting a lot of landscaping preparation done. That was a blessing to do minus the heat and mosquitoes. We did the major push for our "Just As I Am" project, which we're actually still accepting people for this week-end, and it was nice to have a quiet period in our business in order to focus on that. But my optimism, my physical energy, and my purpose were all very weak.

Now, it feels like we've regrouped our energies, and we're ready to branch out again. Stretching, expanding, reaching out, going deeper...and we anticipate a surge of growth that will bring our business to the next level. I believe this will happen as we do some inner work, find ways to feed our souls, and as we gather with supportive people.

These last two weeks have been interesting. I've been looking at energy in a number of different ways: learning about the fascinating way the body functions, taking more seriously how different things drain my energy, and looking for ways to boost my energy. One step I'm taking is using money to hire people to do things for me that aren't getting done easily and are dragging me down. It's a scary step, as I need to believe that more money will come when I do this to compensate (even abundantly more). But I am now willing to take the step and see it where it leads me. That, for me, is growth.

How are you growing?

(If anyone has a cleaning person or a bookkeeper they want to recommend, I'd love to hear it).

A Better Day

Do you ever go through a period of feeling really down, listless, foggy, and rather despairing? And then one day, it all lifts, your energy returns, and you can think clearly? Maybe you dip down again, but for that day you feel as sunny as a bright blue-sky day?

I just had that experience this week. It seems like for one week in particular every month, I still struggle with insomnia. It used to be quite ongoing but then I started taking supplements for my underactive thyroid. Anyways, one night of little sleep seems to be okay...I just function on adrenaline the next day and actually get quite a lot done. But when it starts adding up, I just go downhill really fast. But somehow, my perspective gets all out of whack and it feels like I have no energy, motivation, or focus EVER (which is pretty depressing). And it's not until the "sun comes out from behind the clouds", that I realize how unlike the real me that is.

Isn't it funny (well, not laugh-out-loud funny) that we can so quickly judge ourselves/pigeon-hold ourselves when we're not at our best (be it anxious, irritable, depressed, tired) and label ourselves, when really, our bodies are probably just saying "pay attention, something's not right...take care of me and I'll take care of you"? But instead, we often become more anxious, irritable, depressed and tired because we're down on ourselves for the way we're acting (or not acting).

I've been reading a very interesting book relating to health, that deals particularly with the energy of the body. From what I've learned, it seems that our bodies become undercharged or overcharged in certain areas when we over-do something (whether it's exercise, working, thinking or whatever). When we mix it up a little, our bodies function better.

So, taking 20 minutes in our massage chair is probably one of the best things I can do in the middle of my day. Or going for a short walk, or stopping to make a cup of tea, or spending 15 minutes playing with my kids in the middle of my work time. These days, it's so common for people to push through tiredness, or skip lunch, or be at the computer endlessly (or in stay-at-home terms, keep cleaning, keep making food, keep changing diapers, keep keeping up) without a break. But our bodies can't sustain that.

Well, speaking of bodies, I should get this body ready for bed. One of my friend's doctors said "There's no substitute for sleep". I need to get me some of that. Maybe I can have more days like today!

The Great Outdoors

What to say...first of all, sorry for letting this blog go untouched for so long. Computer work seems to be the last thing on my "favorite things to do" list with everything outside coming to life. We've been working on our yard a bit and taking pleasure in seeing the kids enjoy just being out there and using their imaginations. (I am so thankful the mosquitoes aren't out yet).

We created some raised beds this year. I'm finally getting some vermiculite today, so I'm anxious to get the seed in. This is the first time I've really direct-seeded anything, so we'll see how it goes. I'm planning for a butterfly mix in one bed, some cosmos, nasturtiums and some kind of grass in another, herbs, carrots, nasturtiums and beans in one, and lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, sugar snap peas, nasturtiums and marigolds in the last one. If we have a chance to make a spot for sunflowers I will plant them. Lots of yellow, orange and green. It makes me happy!

The other thing we're working on is our narrow side yard. It's been a bad weed patch up until now. We are planning a raised bed for the kids, a platform-deck for them to play house/set up a tent etc., and a pea gravel construction zone instead of a sand box. I read some interesting articles on creating outdoor spaces for children a while back and they encourage lots of natural materials to work with and spaces they can call their own. I'll try to include pictures once we're farther underway.